Fitness tip: Hey kids, it's time to get off the couch

Chris Zdeb, Postmedia News06.22.2013

Although the weather is nicer and there’s no school, some kids and their families are less active in summer, choosing to increase the amount of time they spend inside in front of a screen. You can’t leave daily activity to chance; you have to plan it into your child’s day, says Rhiannon Prince, an exercise specialist with the Pediatric Centre for Weight and Health, seen splashing in the water at Beaver Hills Park on a rainy day.

If you're having one of those days when your legs feel like lead, your workout is never ending and you're wondering why you bothered getting off the couch...

EDMONTON - Logically, summer is the answer to many of the reasons families give for not being active the rest of the year — no time, no money, bad weather — especially for kids, since there’s no school.

Actually, inactivity gets worse this time of year.

“Although families say cold weather is one of the things that stops them from being active in the winter, there’s actually a decrease in activity in the summer months because there’s less structure to daily routines,” says Rhiannon Prince, an exercise specialist with the Pediatric Centre for Weight and Health.

“There’s no gym class, no walking to and from school, or active recess. There aren’t many community programs that run all year round. Also, depending on the family structure, there’s an increase in screen time, potentially, because there is unlimited time in the day to do it and, if (kids) are home alone, there’s no one really saying, ‘Hey get off the couch and go.’

“It sounds silly, it sounds opposite to what you’d think, but because there’s more time in the day in summer, there can be less activity.”

When 30-year-old Prince was a kid, all her parents had to say was go outside and play and she and other kids in the neighbourhood whose parents said the same thing, would use their imaginations and free play all day. “Now it seems kids need something to do.”

If you don’t want to hear them whining that they’re bored or have nothing to do all summer, you have to make some plans, and include yourself in the activities, Prince says.

“It makes it a little more fun, and everyone is involved.”

Every family member could wear a pedometer, for example, and set a goal for number of steps walked daily, or you could have activity nights, or try a new activity every week.

Since this is the last week of school for most kids until classes resume Tuesday, Sept. 3, she suggests the family sits down together and lists the activities they like to do, the activities they could do, and those they want to try, maybe a new one every week, listing them under Daily Living, Sports & Exercise and Play & Recreation. Every family member should contribute something.

Post the list in a prominent place like the fridge and work your way through it over the next nine weeks.

Even if your kids are in summer camps (not all of which get kids moving), plan unstructured family activities as well so parents can model the behaviour they want their kids to follow as adults and kids can see that not all activity needs to be structured, Prince explains.

Kick a ball around, throw a Frisbee, or play catch in the backyard or at a park. Run around a local spray deck or spend a day at the pool. Explore the river valley trails on foot or on bike.

When kids start saying there’s nothing to do or they’re bored, you can point to the list and stop them mid-sentence, Prince says. Or threaten them with chores that need doing.

Think “active transportation.” If you’re going to the mall and you have all day, walk or ride a bike with a friend to get there and back.

Edmonton is a city of festivals; plan to bike to some of them as a family.

Kids under 18 should get 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day and spend no more than two hours sitting in front of a screen every day. But if he or she is already spending 12 hours in front of the TV or computer “it would be difficult and probably cause a lot of arguments,” Prince says, if you set new rules and suddenly cut them back to two hours a day, especially if there’s nothing for them to do to fill the void.

Gradually reduce their screen time and replace it with new and fun active things to do.

“I don’t know many kids that turn down fun activities and new things to try to sit at home by themselves.”

Tossing a Frisbee or skipping rocks on the river might not meet the guidelines for moderate or vigorous activity, but it’s something that helps with mental health and improves family dynamics, when done as a family,” Prince says.

“To me, summer is about creating a healthy enjoyment of activity, finding out what you love, why you love it, and how to make it a part of your life, more so than, I need to go out for my hour run today.”

As for rainy days, make sure you plan activities for those days too. They’re a great opportunity for kids to create a circuit of exercises at home, or to visit the water park. Or for slipping on boots and a raincoat and discovering the joys of puddle jumping, or floating a toy boat or rubber ducky.

Over the next nine weeks, Fitness Tip is going to focus on some of the ways kids and their families are keeping active this summer.

Tell us what you’re doing, so we can share stories of your bike rides, kite flying, walks, or badminton in the backyard. E-mail Chris at czdeb@edmontonjournal.com.

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